Tuesday, December 7th, 2021
No details about content
Putin-Biden summit only lasts two hours
In the run-up to the conversation between Russian head of state Putin and US President Biden, the Kremlin declares: In view of the multitude of conflict issues, it could be a very long conversation. It should turn out differently – after two hours it’s over.
The video summit between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended surprisingly quickly. The conversation lasted only about two hours, as reported by Russian news agencies. Nothing has been known about the content so far. The two heads of state held the video summit amid tensions in the Ukraine conflict. Biden wanted to speak to the Kremlin chief about how a military escalation in the conflict can be prevented.
“Greetings, Mr. President,” said Putin in a short video clip that the Kremlin released at the start of the talks. Biden told Putin that it was “good” to see him. He hoped that the next meeting could take place in person again. Russia has gathered tens of thousands of soldiers on the border with Ukraine, which is fueling fears in the West that the Russian army could invade Ukraine. Moscow rejects this and accuses Ukraine of provocations.
Following the video summit, the US president wants to exchange ideas with his European allies. After the conversation, Biden will hold a conference call with the outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the White House announced.
Biden and the heads of state and government of Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain had already discussed the Ukraine conflict on Monday evening by conference call. According to the US, they agreed to stay in “close contact” in order to agree on a coordinated response to Russia’s troop movements on the border with Ukraine.